Hyde Park Physiotherapy

31/03/2025

[Case Study] If it matters to you, it matters to your physio! ⁣
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I'm going to share Nerissa's case study with you over a few posts. But here's a spoiler about physio with me - when I treat you, I will ALWAYS be rooting for you to achieve your movement goals. Whether you want to run a 21k, get back to dance classes, play on the floor with your grandchild, or get back to an Ironman after surgery.⁣
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Basically, I always like to know what my client is hoping to achieve with physio. ⁣
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When Nerissa started physio, she'd had multiple hip operations over a few years, and then 'after recovery' she started experiencing knee pain. She was frustrated and felt like her body was failing her. As she puts it, "It felt like I had been taking 1 step forward, 5 steps back over the last 2 years. I honestly thought I was never going to be able to run again!" ⁣
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By discussing her goal, we could come up with a treatment plan that took that into account. Knowing that running was important to her, I could tailor my assessment to understand what strength and mobility outcomes we'd need to achieve to start her on a running program. ⁣
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Then comes the…interesting…bit 😉 Negotiating a treatment plan. Sometimes your goal might not be achievable while supporting your long-term health, like running a half-marathon 3 weeks after a severe ankle sprain. Your plan will need to take your history, physical health, and injury-type into account. Different tissue heals in different amounts of time, and the overall state of your life/health can assist or hinder that. Knowing the facts and goals, we can work together to plan your treatment to achieve an outcome that balances meeting your goal and supporting your long-term health. ⁣
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In Nerissa's case, she wanted her knee to be pain-free and she wanted to run for enjoyment and general fitness. Given her history, we knew that it was likely to take a while for her body to build capacity back up, and we prioritised managing her pain and building up functional strength, with the long-term goal of returning to running. ⁣
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TL;DR …⁣
Tell your physio what your short and long-term goals are. Then they can work with you to create a plan that takes your long-erm health AND goal into account. ⁣
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Be back soon with more about Nerissa's case…⁣
🤍 Carmen ⁣
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Shared with Nerissa's full consent. ⁣
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28/03/2025

Meet Carmen Baier: Your Partner in Recovery⁣
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Hi 👋 It's been a while since I've been posting regularly, so I'm taking a moment to check in…⁣
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I'm Carmen, the physiotherapist at Hyde Park Physiotherapy. And I'm thrilled that I can use my knowledge and skills to guide YOU back to a fulfilling, active life after pain or injury. ⁣
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Helping people to make friends with their body, understand it, and then build a healthy, active lifestyle is my passion. In the practice I treat musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries, and offer one-on-one rehabilitative Pilates sessions. And through I offer an online core-rehab-program…a 4 week fitness plan to get you back in touch with your body, build a base of core strength, and create a movement habit to last a lifetime! ⁣
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A few random 'me' things…⁣
🦅The best sound in the world is the call of an African Fish Eagle.⁣
🏋️I enjoy exercise…whether it's 'lifting heavy things', Pilates, or getting out for a hike.⁣
📚I LOVE learning, and get grumpy if my brain isn't being stretched…and I also really enjoy discussing and sharing that info with others. ⁣
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The more I learn about health and well-being, the more I realise that people and relationships are where it's ALL at - both so important as the REASON we should move and be healthy, and in MAINTAING and BUILDING mental and physical well-being. It's such a privilege to meet and work with people on a daily basis - I'm so grateful for what I do 😊⁣
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🤍Carmen⁣
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📸 Pic: A photo of Carmen Baier - by the lovely Sihle ⁣
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26/03/2025

I recently tweaked my back doing a few-too-many reps of a movement I haven't done in the gym in a while. (Yes...physios get injured too. No...it wasn't a 'bad' exercise, and it'll be back on my routine soon.) ⁣⁣
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But in the couple of days that I was modifying how I demonstrated exercises in the practice in order to support my recovery, I happened to mention to a patient that I was still going to gym...and they were shocked!⁣⁣
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🤯Why was I exercising injured?!⁣⁣
🤯If I have a back injury, surely I should never lift weights again?!!⁣⁣
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And it reminded me that society still carries many incorrect ideas about our backs! ⁣⁣
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What happened in my back was more of a mild strain...kinda like the calf-pain you get when you overdo a hill run or calf-raises. My back was still structurally sound, I had good core control, and there were still MANY types of exercise I could do while supporting my healing. ⁣⁣
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AND, as I reached later stages of healing, loading my back with weighted exercises helped it to heal well, and allowing me to get back to my usual training routine. ⁣⁣
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Here's the bottom line:⁣⁣
🧘‍♀️When injured, we may need to adapt training⁣⁣
🚴‍♂️There is always SOMETHNG you can do safely⁣⁣
🏋️Backs respond to progressive-overload like any other part of the body...THEY GET STRONGER!⁣⁣
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So next time you have a ni**le...ask your physio for guidance around safe exercise, and for a plan to get you back to the activity you love. ⁣⁣
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🤍Carmen⁣⁣
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24/12/2024

A Blessed Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you and your family! ⁣
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🤍Carmen

19/12/2024

You’re in Joburg between Christmas and New Year?! 😱 Me toooo! 😉⁣
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The practice will be open as usual again from 27 Dec 2024. You can book online or call the office on 011 325 4134 (during office hours).⁣
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Otherwise…send a WhatsApp and we’ll get back to you bright and early on the 27th. ⁣
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11/12/2024

Such a blessing to be part of an incredible profession…and part of this milestone. To many more 🥂

🎉 Happy 100th Birthday to Physiotherapy in South Africa!

A century of healing, movement, and transforming lives. Here's to the past, present, and future of our incredible profession! 🙌

13/08/2024

When Amelia invited me to contribute to her incredible project, I was humbled.

It’s been a joy to experience the wealth of wisdom collected and shared in this book. And the depth of love - both from and towards Amelia - that this project highlights is so incredibly special.

Amelia, thank you for this gift to the world 💕 May it continue to echo in people’s hearts.

"You’ll miss the rainbows if you’re too busy looking at your toes. When life gets tough, you often end up focusing on the mud you’re trudging through. But then you all too easily miss the moments of joy and wonder that are found within the effort and interactions around you. I’ve learnt that living in my life is so important for my mental well-being, physical health, and relationships. Live life as you go! And keep your eyes open for the rainbows.”

To view Lead with Heart online - https://lead-with-heart.com/

Amelia Beattie

22/06/2024

What action do you need to take today to live in a way that aligns with your values and moves you closer to your movement and health goals…? ⁣
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📸 Pic: A text image that says: “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” – Jane Austen⁣
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09/06/2024

🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♂️Good luck running UP! Up some hills, down a few others…and up to PMB. Have a great race!⁣
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And wishing the spectators and supporters a great day out too – this incredible race isn’t possible without you. Thank you!⁣
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📸 Image: Text images saying: It’s Comrades Day!! Good luck to all the runners... ...and supporters, officials, volunteers, and to the medical team. Make it a great one!!⁣
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06/06/2024

Active recovery in a running program or after a big race:⁣
On your rest days, it doesn't mean you should lie on your couch the whole day! In fact, quite the opposite. ⁣
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Gentle activity like walking or 10-20mins of zone 2 cycling can help ease and refresh your muscles. Mindful movement practices like Pilates or yoga that focus on mobility and control also help your movement system to reset, and the intentional breathing while you're active means loads of lifegiving oxygen being delivered to your muscles. ⁣
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Ideas? You could take the kids to the park, or go to that Sunday morning yoga class on the rooftop. ⁣
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And yes…Comrades runners, this goes for you next week too 😉⁣
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📸 Image: Text images saying: Active recovery in a running program or after a big race… ⁣
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05/06/2024

Core control: An under-rated exercise for runners ⁣
When you run, you transfer weight from leg to leg through your pelvis with each step. (Walking too…) If you don't have good core coordination and strength, you will compensate elsewhere in your body, and could possibly pick up injuries with time. ⁣
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This is an exercise for the 'back-core' borrowed from my Bridge & Bend program: 'Body Renewal & Core Connection: A 4 week exercise plan to help you reconnect with your core, and get you ready to confidently join a Pilates or Yoga class." ⁣
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Runners are often surprised by how challenging the coordination of this exercise is 😉⁣
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📹Video: A video where Carmen demonstrates the bridge march exercise.⁣
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04/06/2024

Tips for avoiding running injuries…so you can stay on the road 🏃‍♂️🤸‍♀️👟🛣️⁣
🏃‍♂️ Follow a program AND allow for your lifestyle⁣
…high stress, late nights, poor diet all mean slower recovery, so take more rest days and/or progress through the program more gradually. Your body knows best - learn to listen to it. ⁣
🏃 Do strength work⁣
…1-2 sessions of strength work a week for the major muscle groups in your legs is so helpful in building resilience, preventing injury, and improving performance!⁣
🏃‍♀️ If a ni**le lasts more than 24hrs, get it checked out. ⁣
…Catching an imbalance early means that you can often adapt your program and take less time off than if you let it progress to a more significant injury. ⁣
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📸’s: Text images containing the text in this post. ⁣
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